Process for making concrete structures, dams, walls, bridges, conduits, sewers, pavements, &amp;c.



F. S. `LMVTSON. PROCESS EoR MATTERS CONCRETE STRUCTURES, DAMS, WALLS, BRIDGES, communs, SEWERS,

PAVEMENTS, &c. APPLICATION FILE-D JUNEZS. |906.

Paten-ted Deo. 4E, 191'?.

irc,

FRANKLIN S. LAM-SON, 0F WASHINGTON, DISTRIT 0F COLUMBIA.

entrons, coNDUrTs,

Speciication of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec., 41h-191%.,

Application filed June 23, 1906. SeraI No. 323,159.

luseful Improvement in Processes for Making Concrete Structures, Dams, Walls, Bridges, Conduite, Sewers, Pavements, te., of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the making of.

concrete structures in which the 4fresh concrete is laid in advancing formation-as dcscribed in my application Ser. No. 299,800, (patented July 5, 1910, No.A 963,159) and has for its object the `formation of such structures by the use of such methods as will enable their construction with increased facility, rapidity and economy t-such methods as will allow the continuous performance by operative machines of each of the series of operations which combine to produce the structure; and as will admit of the uniting of plastic material with plastic and non-plastic material in monolithic construction.

The process described in said prior appli cation included the method of emplacing layers of fresh concrete blocks at an angle from the horizontal of 450, more or less.

In this application the process relates to methods which include the continuous use of operative machines in feeding the material to the mixer, in mixing said material, and in discharging the mixed material from the mixer in regular form and at once accurately emplacing it directly on, in or with the structure; to a method for discharging the freshly mixed concrete directly upon the structures being made in forms of successive layers which advance by regulated methods; to a method for uniting series of such freshly plastic advancing forms; to a method for supporting` and regularly advancing movable inclosed concrete-makingand-emplacing plants upon such structures; to a method for compacting the freshly-em- Vplaced concrete; to a method for emplacing non-plastic material with plastic concrete in regulated amounts; to a method for regi.- lating the compression of the plastic surface of a structure.

In the accompanying` drawings Figure 1 is a vertical sectionwith parts broken away-of a dam or Weir in process of construction with a concrete-plant car shown as .laying the @carrete @over the maldini Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section on the line af of Fig. 1, which shows, on the left,

a section of steel framing being emp-laced, 1n the center, rock-fill dump-cars (on trackage beyond the visible fill), and on the right, a concreteqalant car as' depositing concrete with the core-wall steel `framework shown at 3 in Fig. 1; Fig is a plan view showing trackage for concrete and rock-fill cars, and Fig. 4E a side viewof a movable trestle with rock cars in position to dump, as at 1 in F ig. 3; Fig. 5 is aside view of a part of a steel-concrete bridge-with parts broken away, shown as supporting an operating construction-car with an arrangement of material receptacles for continuous dc'- livery, mixture and deposit, and Fig. a detail view in perspective showing a section ofa water-spraying .pipe for forcible mixture of liquid cement with solid materials.

ln the process described 'in the said prior application the fresh concrete blocks were to be conveyed from the mixers to the workmen to be emplaced by hand; the herein-described process consists in discharging the fresh concrete from the mixers in continuous unbroken layers, and, in various methods, Vdirectly emplacing them on the structures. i

The said prior application included in its subject-matter the placing, and embedding in the concrete, of a metal framework which would bind together the included sections `of concrete, and support the mold boards and on which framework a movable covered work-inclosing frame would be supported; in this process a movable frame supported on trucks and rails on a suitable metal framework may carry the' requisite construction plant-,material receptacles, conveyers, mixers, motive-power, and a regulated amount of material, and may be advanced in a regulated manner. Such advancing movement may be continuous, intermittent, or reciprocating, adapted to the requirement. When a line of mixersor a series of rows of mixers-are arranged consecutively, a. stone-dumping conveyer or machine-or series of conveyers or machines-may be placed between each two units of the lineeor rows of the series-to deliver such material in regulated amounts between the layers of plastic material.` The impact of stone falling on soft material, and soft material falling on stone, layer upon layer, will unite and compact the mass most thoroughly, with great economy in the amount of power required for the'miXers. In many instances .more than two-thirds of the bulk of the lmaterial Vmay be non-plastic, as when the proportions are: cement 1, sand 2, gravel (or ycrushedstone commonly named aggregate) 3, stone 5, when the cement and sand-properly moisteiied and mixed-,may be dis-l charged from the mixer in a regular mass of progressive continuity, a regulated amount of gravel (wet or dry) to follow, and the Y proper amount of stone dropped upon and embedded in the plastic mass; such operations to be repeated as desired.

In the drawings, which illustrate the methods herein described, Fig. 1 isa crosssectional elevation-with parts broken away Y'to shorten the structure-of a dam or weir built on a sand and gravel foundation, as in a'river bed where a rock foundation is found to be impracticable, which dam or weir consists of a series of concrete core-walls spaced at proper distances apart and having such spaces, filled with broken rock or other suitable material and having suoli core-walls t 'andiock-fills capped and bound together by a concrete cover of adapted 'quality and thickness; as shown in said figure the crest wall is provided on its yupstream side with a sloping talusv of rock or rubble, and with sheet piling embedded in its base and suitably driven Vdown into the underlying sand and gravelto prevent passage of seepage; the toe-wall is provided on its down-stream side with an apron of rock or rubble, such Y apron being level about three-fourths of its fsurface down and sloping the remaining disas shown, in forming the concrete cap which covers the rock-illsand connects the-*three core-walls; intersecting this line on the left ,is aportable line of'trackage, 12, which is detachably connected tothe permanent reinforce framework 3, shown as embedded in the 'concrete of the crest core-wall, which frame-work andtrackage serve to support the dump cars which deliver the rocks at the site, and after the roclcfill is brought to contour-as is shown on the rightof the figure where :the frame 31 and trackage 13 are in position for the middle core-wallwsustain the concrete making and delivering plant car which builds the wall, such as the car 23 on the right of Fig. 2 which embeds the framing between the opposite faces of the rock-filIs- On the extreme right of section A A an elevated trackage and frameworkalso portable and which rests on the surface of the rock-ill-niay support inateriahcontaining oars which deliver to the construction cars on the tracks 13 alongside. In

section B of Fig. 1, on the left, the rook-fill and concrete cap, with the toe-wall, its reinforce frame 32 and piling, aie shown as conipleted; on the right the portable trackageframe 12 is shown as resting on the slope of the completed apron and connected with the trackage 14, which is a continuation of the line beginning at 1 on the left of the figure. Fig. 2 is a transverse elovatioii on the line -m of Fig. 1, in which-on the lefta crane 21 is shown as supported on trackage Ydetachably connected to the top of the steelreinforce framework and in the act of lowering a section 33 of such framework to position in extension thereof; centrally in Fig. 2

dump cars 22 containing material for the rock-fill are shown as apparently on the trackage of framework 31, but their operative position would be on a slightly lower level on portable trackage resting on the top l of the rock-fill in part and in part on the movable section 12 of portable framing shown in Fig. 4, and centrally in the plan view in Fig. 3; on the right in Fig. 2 the construction-cai` 22 is shown as delivering concrete and rocks alternately in embedding the reinforce framing 31 between the faces of rock-ill*central in Fig. 1--in the formation of the middle Core-wall; the supply of material to car 23 may be from cars on elevated trackage-as 1 in Fig. l-by trolley buckets from any position, or otherwise. Fig. 3 is a plan showing different trackage methods usable in supplying and emplacing the required construction material, the trackages 1 and 14 being supported on the rockfill or the earth, and 13 on the reinforce framing for the core-walls; steel tie-iods a, suitably spaced apart, may be embedded in the concrete cap covering the structure between the core-walls, serving to aid in binding them together in strong construction.

In Fig. 4 material dump-cars 22 are shown as supported on trackage sustained on the surface of the rock-fill and on the left on the movable car-supporting frame provided with wheels or rollers which may travel on sectional trackage or planking, which may be advanced as the ll is completed; the surface trackage also to be supplied in sections as the work progresses.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a twiii-pier abutment and half-span of arch of a steelconcrete bridge which illustrates the appli` cation of my angle-trussbraoo methods in such complex construction, in Which the dotted lines indicate the embedded system of steel reinforce, the various parts being strongly connected Ain manner and method as herein described. @n the right ofthe figure a portion of the railing is broken away to show a construction-plantcar supported` on tracks connected to the `steel framework, which illustrates an arrange` ment of material supply receptacles as adapted for the continuous delivery of the material when the mixing is to be accom plished by the impact of strongly forced water-spray as the separate streams of cement, sand, etc., pass from their respective delivery-openings on their way to the structure, as described.

When preferred the mixed cement and sand (or cement and sand unmixed) may be Vdischarged dry, and forcibly water-sprayed as it passes to the structure; the gravel and stone also passing through spray' in falling if desired. The f'oroe of such spraying of the cement and sand to be adapted to the requirement that such spraying carry the cement and sand to Contact with and among the gravel as it falls on the structure with thorough mixture, the regularly delivered stone, in falling, being embedded in the plastic mixture on the slope, and covered by the succeeding plastic mixture.

The methods of the discharge and delivery of the material may be varied to suit the requirements of the structures, and mechanin cal devices may be used to cause the proper mixing of such material as it passes to the slope if needed.

When the freshlyplastio concrete is to be laid in a slope of step formation with a continuous forward delivery, each of a series; of advancing mixers discharges its product in a layer at a regulated distance back of its predecessor, the whole forming a series of superimposed plastic layers which are ad vanced simultaneously, rising by steps layer upon layer; When two such series of advancing forms of freshly-plastic material advance toward each other and unite, it is without joint-monolithic union.

With a series of movable mixers arranged upon said framework to deliver their product beneath them by regulated method, such delivery may be so made as to form a slope at one end of a structure (as a dam or conduit), and by regulated advancing delivery continuously advance the face of such slope, from bottom to top, to the other end. Y

When preferred (as on long slopes) the movable mixers--instead of having continnous forward movement-fmay advance with a reciprocal movement, alternately advancing the delivery tc the foot of the slope and retiring it to the top, with a progressive advance ofthe whole slope; such method enblingy rapid construction 'with smaller' plants, thevenlargement of mixers in a less numberl thereof reducing the number without decreasing the delivery of the product. Such movable mixers may be provided with adapted receptacles for material, which material may be supplied thereto from detachable trucks movable on rails supported on the said framework; from such receptacles such material is to be conveyed in regulated amounts to the mixers or delivering devices for emplacement upon the structure. When the construction plant is arranged upon a frame supported on trucks, movable on rails connected to said framework, such detaohable trucks may also supply the material for the concrete to similar adapted receptacles upon such movable frame, from which receptacles such material maybe similarly con* veyed in regulated amounts. When so desired the cement and sand only may be conveyed to the mixers, the regulated amounts of gravel and stonebeing conveyed to, and dropped through, openings in the movable frame directly upon the structural formar tion, being regularly combined with the cement and sand in the forward progress of the plant; or, asa variation, the cement, sand, O'ravel and stone may be separately delivered, the cement andsand-in fallingbeing horizontally struck by strongly forced f water-spray which mingles and combines the material as it drops on the structure; the gravel being preferably continuously delivered, and the stone intermittently, in regulated ratio.

The falling of heavy material on the advancing slope of freshly plastic concrete serves to thoroughly compact the mass, the stone being carried by gravity to place, and the jarring impact causing perfect union. In structures which must sustain great pressure (dams, bridges, etc.) the said metal framework is to be anchored to the rock bed by steel construction adapted to the estmated stress, and such anchorage is to be thoroughly embedded in the plastic concrete to prevent corrosion. In such a process the construction Vof the necessary framework, and of the inolosing mold-boards, goes forward in advance of the concrete work, the said mold-boards being held in place and supported by the said framework.` Such framework maybe made in sections of different levels, as for walls of buildings, when the frame may be carried story-high at a time, and the concrete emplaced; but when practicable (asin retaining-walls, conduits, etc.) such frame is preferably set up to full height at one or both ends of a structure (and if desired at one or more points be- 1 tween), the necessary tracks, mold-boards andl construction-plant emplaced, and the full construction advanced simultaneously.

rlihe combination of plastic concrete and steel united (tto) jointly carry' theload) was freshly-plastic concrete is also described. In

such joint steel-and-concrete structures it is of much importance thatthemethod of the steel framing shall be such as to best enable the structure to withstand the stress of extreme pressure (earthquake-shocks, tornado blasts); it is also of greatimportance that the members of such steel framing shall be of suchform, and so placed, as to enable the 4passage of theV freshly-plastic concrete into Contact and jointure with every Vexposed part oit such frame. To accomplish this double purpose the said trame-may be made of members which are connected together so as to form asystem of truss-'brace framing in which each member is set vertically edgewise, and each brace-member set longitudi- V'nally at an angle from the horizontal of Yabout 60o to 700, more or less; the whole frame to be suitably connected with vertical and horizontal supports, bearings, ties, bolts and rivets. Such members may be ilat, "lshape, T-shape, l-E---shapa j-shape, but set vertically edgewise to enable the plastic material to pass to contact with every exposed part.

' The vertical position of the web of each memberas embedded in the concretebest enables a structure to withstand the effect of thrusts from beneath, or otherwise; and the method of framing best enables the structural unit to withstand every stress.

v Asa means to aid in the transfer of the said ymold-boards from the rear to the front-V-or for other construction purposes, detachable scaffolding may be connected with, and supported by, the said metal framework, the means of such connection being similar to those used in the support of thesaid series of mold-boards, but specially adapted to the purpose in view.

Iam. aware that prior to my application the emplacement of fresh concrete roughly on beds yor in molds was common, such placed material being worked to desired forms by tools, 'or rammed in trenches or molds in layers of more or less approximate l regularity; that such approximately Vregu- Alar layers have been formed (by hand work -of a row of workmen) in sloping molds, as in the patents to Ransome, 358,500, 515,014, 517,808. Y

Such forming methods I do not claim.

By reference to the above-named Patent No. 963,159 (paragraph next preceding claims) it appears that the disclosure covers continuous movement of materials to union and of the product of such union to emplacement and compaction while plastic. In this 'application additional economy and rapidity of construction for large structures is especially shown in the improved methods for producing such continuous movement of materials to mixture, and of mixture to compacted deposit.

I claim:

l. The method of mixing concrete which consists in wetting the dry cement to liquid consistency and moving the inert material within a spray or shower of such liquid cement.

2. The method of mixing concrete which consists in producing a water-spray of shower, moving dry cement within such spray or shower (and subject thereto), and moving the inert material within, and subject to, full contact with the thereby produced liquid cement.

3. The method of mixing concrete which consists in moving a stream or streams of inert material and causing liquid cement to envelop such inert material.

et. The method of mixing concrete which consists in moving a stream or streams of inert material, moving a stream of dry cement adjacent to such stream or streams, and by force causing water to envelop the cement, and the produced liquid cement to envelop the inert material.

5. The process of producing a plastic mixture which consists in discharging dry material and liquid from separate confinement in sources of supply, and bringing such substances together while moving from separate points of delivery into permanent position.

6. The process of producing a plastic mixture which conists in discharging liquid and dry materials from confinement in separate sources of supply, bringing said materials together while in motion after passing from their points of separate discharge from such conlinement, and continuously depositing the mixture thus formed.

7. The process of producing and applying a plastic mixture which consists in separately conducting in continuous movement liquid vand dry material from separate sources of supply movable in unison, bringing such materials together while in motion and continuously depositing the mixture with compacting force during movement of said sources of supply.

8. The method of mixing concrete which consists in separately delivering (from separate sources of supply) streams of relatively dry comminuted material (cement, sand-separate or mixed) and liquid, and causing the liquid-forcibly projected, to envelop such comminuted material after the streams pass from their points of delivery.

9. The method of mixing concrete which consists in separately delivering relatively dry cement and sand, causing projected water-spray to envelop the cement, the produced liquid cement to envelop the sand, and forcing this mixture into intimate contact with the separately delivered aggregate.

10. The method of mixing cement consisting in separately feeding dry materials to the formation, and simultaneously causing forcibly propelled water-spray to carry cement into contact and mixture with the other material or materials as they pass to and are deposited on the formation, whereby liquid cement is applied to the solid material or materials being deposited.

11. rlhe method of mixing concrete materials consisting in separately feeding dry cement and dry sand to the formation, and simultaneously causing forcibly-propelled watersspray to carry the cement into contact and mixture with the sand as it passes to the formation, whereby liquid cement is applied to and mixed with sand.

12. The method of forming concrete structures, consisting in separately feeding dry cement, dry sand and dry aggregate to the formation, and causing forcibly-propelled water-spray to carry the cement into contact and mixture with the sand, and the cement and sand to mixture with the aggregate while in motion.

13.'Tl1e method of mixing concrete material consisting in separately feeding to the formation a dry cement-and-sand mixture and a dry aggregate, and causing forcibly-propelled water-spray to carry the cement and sand mixture into contact and mixture with such aggregate as they are fed to the formation.

@epica of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Gewinner of Patenti,

14. In a process for making concrete structures, the steps of separately feeding to the formation dry cement and sand by gravity, by gravity feeding aggregate, and causing forcibly propelled water-spray to carry the cement and sand into contact and mixture with such aggregate as it passes to the formation and is deposited thereon.

15. In a process for making concrete structures, the steps of separately feeding to the formation dry cement and sand by gravity, by gravity feeding aggregate, and simultaneously causing forcibly-propelled water-spray to carry the cement and sand into contact and mixture with such aggregate as it passes to the formation and is deposited thereon, and by gravity feeding stone thereto, whereby the deposited plastic material is compacted by the impact of falling stone being embedded therein.

16. In a process for making concrete structures employing a concrete materialcontaining, proportioning and discharging plant on a frame, the steps of moving such a plant forward with regulated method, discharging the dry material in regulated proportions, and forcibly spraying with regulatedwater-volume the discharged material as it passes to and is deposited on the structure.

FRANKLIN s. LAMsoN.

Witnesses C. T. LAMsoN, SoLoN C. KEMON.

Wamnmon, D. 03. 

